Orchid
Book Reviews - Discover the Best Orchid Books

Numerous
Orchid Books have been reviewed in this Orchid Book Review page. These
Orchid
Book reviews have been written with a perspective of recommending
the best orchid books for YOUR orchid growing and identification needs!
All of the Orchid guide books listed here
have been read from cover to cover. Detailed comments on orchid
photos, orchid diagrams and each author’s orchid care advice is
provided in each book review to help you choose a book
that is appropriate for you.

The front cover image of each
orchid guide book reviewed is provided together with the complete
orchid book
title and author name. If you click on the orchid
book cover image, you will be taken to amazon.com to allow you to read
futher information about each book. If you are looking for a quick
answer to "Which
Orchid book should I buy?"
, then all you need to do is
select the most appropriate orchid book from the Best Orchid Book
Recommendations Table shown below:

BEST
ORCHID
BOOK REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS:

If
you are looking for:

A
beginners orchid care book, and
you
don't want to be overwhelmed with too much information in one
book......buy:Ortho's All
About Orchids

A
thoroughly excellent Book that covers
orchid care and contains
an Orchid Reference Directory in equal
good measure, or you
are looking for an Orchid Book that will
serve you for a long long time whether you are a beginner or an
experienced orchid enthusiast...buy: Understanding
Orchids By William Cullina

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found this Orchid
Book Reviews
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At
over 220 pages the Orchid Growers Companion by David Banks has a great
range of information for orchid
lovers. 50% of the pages are dedicated to orchid care advice, the other
half is a directory of orchid species. At over 120 pages, this
directory alone is more than the entire set of pages from many other
orchid book authors. This allows more species to be described, with for
example the section on Dendrobium running to 17 pages! The pages
measure approx 8.5” x 11”, that’s 21.5cm x 28 cm and literally all of
them are color.
The Care sections of the book tend to include an
average of at least 2 to 3 photos per page, and this increases to an
average of 3 to 4 photos per page in the directory section. The
chapters seem to be sensibly laid out. The photographs, which are often
full page, are vivid and detailed, and the tables and symbols are clear
and easy to follow. The directory pages have symbols next to each
species description indicating preferred light and temperature.
The
book starts with 30 pages on the nature of orchids, and covers orchid
plant structure, pollination, names, history of cultivation, geography
locations of species, conservatory growing, and exhibiting orchids
(along with competitions award schemes). The next section covers 34
pages of orchid cultivation and care, discussing where to grow (indoor
or outside, in pots, on mounts or in baskets), watering, fertilizing,
repotting, pests and diseases, and a full 10 pages dedicated to
propagation. The pests and diseases section has a fantastic series of
photographs indicating the different leaf damage caused by different
bugs and viruses. The directory approaches the species in alphabetical
order, dedicating approximately 200 words to describe the main features
of the species. This is then followed by approximately 40 words per sub
species.
The significant number of pages in the Orchid Growers Companion means
it has a great balance of
practical care advice, together with enough content to help you
identify your orchid collection. This would be a great book for
enthusiasts who have begun to get the orchid lovers bug, and want to
gain a comprehensive appreciation of how many orchids are out there,
and indeed how to care for them. RATING:
8/10.

This
book, A Beginners Guide to Orchids by Geoffrey Hands, would indeed be
helpful for an absolute orchid beginner.
At 128 pages in length, the majority (119 pages) are dedicated to
orchid care advice, with a mere 4 pages at the end for an orchid
directory.
The initial 21 pages cover common orchid types. The next 30
pages have an interesting approach to helping you discover orchids; the
reader is shown the various seasonal patterns of growth exhibited by
orchids, helping
you answer the question of “what’s going on with my orchid???”
throughout
its annual cycle….no more being alarmed if there is no bloom for part
of the year! The final 50 pages cover where to grow (discussing
humidity and light), watering and feeding, and a basic guide to
repotting. The book rounds off by introducing you to such techniques as
hydroponic growing, propagation, as well as a few pages on pests and
diseases.
The pages measure 9” x 11” (23cm x 28cm), and generally contain at
least 2 photos per page. Most graphics are in fact photographs, meaning
the remaining page is covered in words (and few, if any, symbols,
tables or diagrams). The title of the book is not claiming anything
else other than “a beginners guide to orchids” – this title tends to be
accurate and therefore is suited to those less experienced orchid
lovers.
RATING:
7/10.

Ortho's
All About Orchids has
a total of 92 pages. Each page measures 8 inches by 11 inches. The book
uses a combination of text, thumbnail images, tables, and illustrations
for most pages. All About Orchids focuses on practical growing and
orchid care
advice.
The first 12 pages cover an introduction to the environment that an
orchid
needs, discussing light, temperature, humidity and air circulation,
plus advice for growing orchids outdoors. There are some useful tables
of
information in this book and the introduction on light has a useful
diagram on the amount of light that each orchid alliance is most
comfortable with. This section even shows you how to measure and
monitor
your light for your orchid. The introduction to temperature is
similarly useful, again with a great table showing the ideal night-time
temperature ranges for each of the orchid alliances. This is then
followed by 24 pages on buying, growing, and routine care of
your orchids. This chapter starts off with dividing the orchid
alliances into beginner, intermediate and advanced orchid types, and
explains monopodial, sympodial, epiphytes, terrestrial, lithophytes.
The two pages on potting mediums in this chapter provides a good visual
introduction to the different potting medium types.
Each topic in this book is
generally covered with two pages per topic, and the sections on
watering, fertilising, dividing and repotting, and propagation are all
covered nicely with a combination of thumb nail images and descriptive
text.
There are four pages on orchid diseases and common problems
and
another six on orchid botany breeding and orchid identification (these
pages are a good resource to gain further knowledge on orchid types,
breeding, and learning the correct names of the orchid flower parts).
This section leads nicely to the final chapter, the orchid gallery,
which is 36 pages long. The orchids in this gallery are organized
alphabetically by genus. The common features of the gallery pages
discuss characteristics of both the species and hybrids for each genus,
along with tips for success, and 4 to 5 thumbnail photos.
This is a good all-round book, primarily focussing on orchid care. Even
the orchid gallery is written with a view to providing practical orchid
advice. Having reviewed many orchid books I can’t avoid saying that if
this book had double the amount of pages that it currently has, it
would be one of the most in-depth practical orchid books out there.
That said, the 92 pages of this book will provide a beginner a great
set of practical tips and tricks to look after many orchids in their
collection, and would also be a good "top up" tip resource for an
intermediate orchid enthusiast. Indeed, Ortho's All About Orchids might
be a worthy
book for any orchid lovers collection.
RATING:
8/10.

Orchids
for Dummies by Steven
Frowine
is
a useful starter book containing basic and practical information,
especially for the first time orchid buyer. For those already familiar
with the "Dummies" guides, this book maintains their regular and
distinct style of publishing. It is user friendly, full
of easy to understand tips, all written in a simple way to help you
realise that some orchids are not as difficult to care for as people
believe. There is no fear of the unknown as Orchids for Dummies takes
you from choosing your first plant, onto orchid care,
maintenance, and
hopefully enjoyment! This is an excellent reference book where even the
more
experienced orchid growers can find some useful tips. RATING:
7/10.

The
second edition of the Complete Book of Orchid Growing by Peter McKenzie
Black prefers words and diagrams and is lighter
than many other orchid books on photos. However, this does not mean its
content is lacking. Indeed, the approximate 7.5” x 10” (19cm x 25cm)
pages are richly covered in words, diagrams and tables. 152 pages in
total, the first 46 pages cover an introduction to the characteristics
and habitat of orchids, followed by culture and care advice covering
pollination, composts, pots, watering, feeding, lighting, temperature,
hybridization, and pests and diseases.
The remaining approximate 90
pages describe the particular characteristics of a selection of 43
orchid species, along with associated sub species. Not listed in
alphabetical order, it’s necessary to rely on the index to find the
specific care advice for your orchid. Each of the 43 species is
discussed with its Etymology, description, cultivation and
characteristics being covered. The book rounds off with 4 appendices
dedicated to Hybrid lists and taxonomy.
For those readers who want more than what many other orchid books offer
(if one prefers more written words, diagrams, sketches, tables and
lists), the Complete Book of Orchid Growing is certainly worth a
further look.
RATING:
7/10.

The
title of this book,
Growing Orchids in Your Garden (by G.M Friend), sums
up its content very nicely indeed! Its approach is different to many
orchid guide books out there, because the author has written the book
with the clear intention of thoroughly considering WHERE you will be
caring for the orchids you grow. As the author states himself on the
inside front cover of the book – “wherever you live, you can grow
orchids”. After you have read this book, you will have gained a great
appreciation of your options for growing orchids in the context of
where YOU live.
The book is 218 pages, each measuring 7” wide by 9” high. Most pages
contain 1 to 2 color photos with the remaining half of each page
containing text. After the first 24 introductory pages discuss how to
use the book, where orchids grow, orchid growth types (2 excellent hand
sketches show everything you need to know), orchid climates, and
choosing the right orchid, the next 80 pages cover types of orchid that
fall into 1 of 3 categories (Orchids that grow on trees, Orchids that
grow on rocks and walls, and Orchids that grow in the ground). Each of
these 3 categories has a similar sequence of pages; the author covers
how to grow the orchids, companion plants, aftercare (of the tree/wall
etc), and a specific and thorough selection of orchids suited to each
category.
Following these pages, a section covers outdoor orchid pests, including
birds, lizards, frogs, and small mammals. A 4 page section on the
strengths and weaknesses or orchid species versus orchid hybrids is
followed by 25 very useful pages that discuss the TYPES/SIZES of orchid
gardens (for example, a large garden, a sub-urban garden, courtyard and
balcony gardens). This is then followed up with 15 pages on containers
to use for growing orchids outdoors, covering aspects in sufficient
depth to even cover pots suitable to avoid wind damage!. The book draws
to a close with 6 pages on growing your orchids indoors (it even
includes a section on growing orchids indoors on trees). The conclusion
then leads you to the excellent 25 page long table of recommendations
for growing orchids in your garden. This table is very powerful, and
has column headings of orchid plant name, the garden type and climate
it is most suited to, and other specific growing advice/ comments. If
you are considering growing your orchids outdoors, you’ll be using this
table as a reference source time and time again. The book rounds off
with the usual pages of glossary, bibliography, subject and plant
indexes.
If you had previously thought that it was not possible to grow orchids
in your garden where you live, then a read of this book is recommended.
Growing Orchids in Your Garden by G.M Friend will leave you with a
greater understanding of orchid types,
and where it is best to grow them in YOUR garden or home. Many orchid
books out there seem to be a “read once only” category, but with this
book, you are likely to be supported time and time again by its
thorough and broad coverage. It certainly is a book worth seeking out.
RATING:
8.5/10.

Ultimate
Orchid by Thomas.J.
Sheehan is a very visual 160
page book. Its larger 9” wide by 11” high pages provide plenty of space
for numerous color photos per page. Indeed, almost every second page of
this book has a full color photo of an individual orchid, and its
opposite page has at least 3 to 5 orchid photos with annotations of at
least 20 words per photo. The book would be a very useful resource for
you to determine the precise species of all of the orchids you own. The
first 15 pages cover orchid history, what is an orchid, and orchid
classifications The majority of the remaining pages of the book are
divided into 2 sections. Section 1, with its 120 pages, covers all of
the major orchid alliances (paphiopedilum, cymbidium, oncidium,
cattleya, pleurothallids, dendrobium, vanda, and phalaenopsis) and
botanical orchids. Each alliance has a page introduction followed by a
series of pages covering each alliance species and hybrids. Section 2
continues to use the large page size to good effect and covers topics
on orchid conservation, media and potting, propagation and care, where
to grow orchids, pests and diseases, orchid shows, awards, and
collectibles. However, with section 2 only being 15 pages in total, the
book struggles to cover any of these latter topics in great depth.
With almost 75% of Ultimate Orchid being dedicated to
orchid alliances, this large paged color book lends itself more of a
reference book, allowing you to identify the species or hybrid type of
the orchids you are currently growing.
RATING:
7/10.

At
256 pages, with each big
page measuring 9” wide by 12” high, there is a lot of paper inside
Growing Orchids by Brian and Wilma Rittershausen! The good news is that
it has been put to good use, covering in
equal depth both orchid growing advice and orchid types. There are 2 to
3 visuals per page (usually photos, but sometimes tables of
information), but the large page size means there is still sufficient
room for in depth supporting text (maybe 100 to 300 words per page).
The first 45 pages cover orchids in the wild, history of orchids, and
include a strong 11 page section on the botany of orchids which shows
photos of various parts of an orchid in sufficient size and detail. The
next 30 pages cover where to grow your orchids (indoors, outdoors,
under glass) and provides advice on temperatures, methods, heating,
ventilation, shading etc. This is then followed by almost 60 pages on
orchid care and cultivation; many pages include labeled step by step
photo guides including advice on tools, potting mediums, propagation,
routine orchid care, and pests and diseases. Yet, there is still more
to come, with the following 100 pages providing an orchid directory.
The directory groups the orchids by “popular” and “specials/temperate
terrestrial orchids”, and each group is sub-categorized by orchid
alliance type, with each orchid alliance covered by an introduction
page followed by numerous pages each showing specific orchids photos
with approx 20 words per photo. The book concludes with a glossary,
index and list of suppliers.
With its 250 large pages, Growing Orchids by Brian and Wilma
Rittershausen is a comprehensive and
informative book containing both orchid care advice and a suitable
orchid alliance directory. Many other book are strong in EITHER care
advice OR orchid directories, but this book has enough content to be
strong in both aspects. This book is well worth a further look. RATING:9.5/10.

The
title of this book, Understanding Orchids by William Cullina, says it
all. The author certainly does understand
his orchids! The book is written in the first person tense, with
William Cullina
describing his own orchid experiences such as “I went on to manage a
conservatory collection of orchids”. This method of writing tends to
really make you feel the author is offering real
experience and advice
that has brought him successful orchids time and time again. The book
(whose pages measure approx 8.5” x 11” or 21.5cm x 28 cm) is a whopping
260 pages, with the latter 50% dedicated to an orchid directory.
The first 99 pages (with generally at least 1 color photo per page)
cover in detail what you need to know about setting up a suitable
environment for your orchid. It's hard in fact to find a weak area of
this book
– the strong sections include those 10 pages covering the vast range
and features of orchid potting mediums, and another 6 on fertilizer.
This section ends with a handy 3 page trouble shooting guide. Next, 12
pages are dedicated to orchid reproduction, which is then followed by
an excellent 12 pages on hybridization and species.
Often guide books can make species information seem like you are
learning a new language,
but the William Cullina presents this section in an easy to understand
format.
The approximate 98 page orchid directory section has more specific care
advice than many other orchid books; the approximate 2 pictures per
page help you identify your orchid, allowing you to subsequently read
specific advice on skill level, temperature, light, humidity, water,
fertilization, potting and media. The book is rounded off by Appendices
which list such aspects as taxonomy, orchid organizations, orchid
competitions, and a glossary.
Understanding Orchids By William Cullina
is a great book, for both a beginner
and an experienced enthusiast. Indeed, with so much advice and
experience in
this book, if you do buy a copy, it’s likely to stay in your book
collection
for a long long time.
RATING: 10/10.

**
Remember
to click on the cover image of the book which seems to fit most
closely with what you need, and you will be taken to amazon.com to
allow you to read
futher information about that book. We hope you find one that helps
you.

If you
found this Orchid
Book Reviews
page useful, please click the "Like" button below, and leave
us a comment in the box. Thank
you!